Tips & Tools Weekly (Vol. 19, No. 13)

Video Tip: Save Your AutoCAD Settings to the Cloud
We all work differently inside of AutoCAD — your AutoCAD setup is probably very different from your coworker’s. In this video from Cadalyst and Lynn Allen, you’ll learn how to save your customized AutoCAD environment to the cloud so it’s easy to restore in no time! Watch the video

Double-Click to Edit Dimensions
This tip from Michael Viscetto is for old-school AutoCAD users. As tip reviewer R.K. McSwain noted, AutoCAD has been around for a long time — and so have some AutoCAD users. Pay attention to new users, as they pick up tricks about recent versions of the software that longtime users may not be aware of. View the complete tip and post your feedback.

Inventor Tip: Align Balloons in Inventor
When working with 2D drawings in Autodesk Inventor, have you ever added balloons to a drawing and wanted them to align on the drawing? This tip from David Edward Gaskill shows how to line up multiple annotation balloon callouts in Inventor. View the complete tip and post your feedback.

Review Cadalyst's Tip Submission Guidelines, then Submit Your Tip for your favorite CAD software. Be sure to tell us which software version you use. If we publish your original, previously unpublished tip, you can earn a gift card (learn more about prizes here). Please submit only tips or code that are your original work. By submitting code, you grant Cadalyst the right to print and distribute your tip in print, digitally, and by other means. Cadalyst and individual authors retain all rights to submitted tips.

By submitting code, you agree that your code can be reused as-is or modified by other users in conjunction with AutoCAD or other software programs to gain efficiencies in that software for professional or personal use, and that your code can be shared freely among users. Users do not have the right to republish code in any manner or format (such as on a blog web site or in a printed document) for personal or commercial gain without written permission from Cadalyst and the original author.

Got Feedback? To share feedback about one of today's tips, navigate to the tip using the link provided above, then click Comment. The Comment tool is available to registered users of Cadalyst'sCAD Tips site.

Tips & Tools Weekly software tips for AutoCAD are reviewed in the latest version of AutoCAD by Contributing Editor R.K. McSwain. Use all tips at your own discretion, please. We're sorry, but Cadalyst staff cannot provide assistance with technical problems. Please refer to Cadalyst's LinkedIn and Facebook communities for assistance with AutoLISP and other AutoCAD customization questions.

IDTechEx Report Addresses 3D Printing Opportunities
Market research firm IDTechEx is offering for sale a new report titled, "3D Printing 2014–2025: Technologies, Markets, Players." According to the report, the market for 3D printing equipment, materials, and software will grow from about $1.5 billion this year to $4 billion in 2025. Growth will be led by the automotive, medical/dental, jewelry and design art manufacturing, and aerospace sectors.

ACCA's Free UPP Initiative Makes BIM Use Free; Users Pay to Print
ACCA, an Italian company that develops software for architects and engineers, has announced a new distribution method called Free Use Pay Print (Free UPP). Software use, program updates, training, and support for ACCA's Edificius building information modeling (BIM) software are free; customers pay only when exporting or printing their files (about $0.14 per A4 sheet). The first 500 prints are free.

Nemetschek Vectorworks Supports Global Design Projects with Grants
Software developer Nemetschek Vectorworks is accepting submissions to its academic research grant program, which funds individuals and teams that develop solutions to global concerns. Individuals and teams are urged to submit projects for consideration that represent any design discipline.

Stratasys Announces Winners of Extreme Redesign 3D Printing Challenge
Stratasys, a provider of 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions, has announced the winners of its tenth annual Extreme Redesign 3D Printing Challenge. This global contest offers students in middle school, high school, college, and art and architecture programs the opportunity to redesign an existing product or to create a new product that improves how a task is completed.

i GET IT Offers Updated Autodesk Fusion 360 Essentials Course
Tata Technologies' i GET IT online, self-paced training course library includes an Autodesk Fusion 360 course that has been updated to reflect the latest improvements to the cloud application. This course teaches students the basic features that users must understand to effectively interact with their designs.

ASCENT Releases Autodesk Official Training Guides for 2015 Versions
Rand Worldwide's courseware division, ASCENT – Center for Technical Knowledge, has made an initial release of new Autodesk Official Training Guides (AOTG) for Autodesk 2015 software, and expects to release at least 40 more titles in the coming months. ASCENT's training guides are designed to provide instruction in the classroom, for self-study, and as a reference for ongoing use outside the class.

AEC: Leica ScanStation P15 3D Laser Scanner
The Leica ScanStation P15 from Leica Geosystems is a 3D laser scanner based on the ScanStation P20. Suitable for a range of non-surveying applications, including interior and short-range uses, the ScanStation P15 offers a simplified user interface and is accurate at up to 40 meters (131 feet).

Data Management: SEE Project Manager LT and SEE Project Manager in the Cloud
The IGE+XAO Group launched LT and Cloud versions of SEE Project Manager, which is documentation and technical data management software dedicated to electrical projects. The collaborative tool enables the sharing and lifecycle management of electrical projects as well as associated documents while centralizing and securing them on a server.

Graphics Cards: AMD FirePro W9100
The FirePro W9100 professional graphics card from AMD is designed for workstations running 4K displays and accelerated by Open Computing Language (OpenCL). The card offers up to 2.62 teraFLOPS of double-precision compute performance, 16 GB of GDDR5 memory, and support for as many as six 4K displays. As many as four FirePro W9100s can be combined in a single desktop system.

No Nonsense CAD/CAM for the Job Shop
April 15, 2014
2 p.m. ET
This brief Kubotek webinar will help attendees understand how a direct CAD system such as KeyCreator, combined with a simple 2- and 3-axis computer-aided machining (CAM) system, can be an effective solution and/or addition to a machine shop. Read more

Problem Solved
April 24, 2014
10:30 a.m. ET
Poor communication and lack of collaboration on design projects are common problems for companies in the architectural, civil, and manufacturing space. IMAGINiT's Problem Solved online conference will cover the issues that arise when working with internal and external teams, as well as ideas about how to solve or prevent these challenges. Read more

PLM Road Map 2014
October 2, 2014
Plymouth, Michigan
This annual event is hosted by CIMdata, a global product lifecycle management (PLM) consulting and research firm. The theme for this year's conference is "PLM-Enabled Continuous Product Development and Delivery for the Automotive & Transportation Industry and Supply Chain." Read more

Capture 3D Innovation 2014
October 14–16, 2014
Costa Mesa, California
Capture 3D Innovation is the biannual users' group meeting for customers of Capture 3D. It is designed for quality and manufacturing executives, managers, and engineers focusing on continuing process improvement through metrology. Read more

For a complete list of CAD meetings, conferences, training sessions, and more, check out our calendar of events on Cadalyst.com. Are you hosting an event that you would like to include in our calendar? Submit details at least two weeks in advance to news@cadalyst.com.

Digital Storm Slade PRO
Attention to detail is evident in the design and construction of this high-end workstation. Read more

AMD Continues Professional Graphics Push with FirePro W9100
The new flagship of AMD's professional GPU offerings is part of the company's effort to diversify its customer base. Read more

Give Your CAD/BIM Systems the Dog Food Test
If your software systems aren't good enough for your own use, they're not good enough for your users either. Read more

AutoCAD 2015 Designed to Fine-Tune Workflows
Updates to AutoCAD 2015 are geared toward optimization — helping you do your job, not trying to change how you work. Read more

Autodesk Welcomes Spring with AutoCAD 2015 and Updated Suites
In addition to new capabilities and interface refinements, AutoCAD now offers more purchase flexibility with monthly, quarterly, and annual subscription plans. Read more

About the Author: Cadalyst Staff

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AutoCAD Tips!

Autodesk Technical Evangelist Lynn Allen guides you through a different AutoCAD feature in every edition of her popular "Circles and Lines" tutorial series. For even more AutoCAD how-to, check out Lynn's quick tips in the Cadalyst Video Gallery. Subscribe to Cadalyst's free Tips & Tools Weekly e-newsletter and we'll notify you every time a new video tip is published. All exclusively from Cadalyst!Follow Lynn on Twitter